Incubator



A(No Model.)

" .'M. E. LINDBMUTH.

vvIATGIJBA'ROR.

` Patented Nov. 1.2 1895.

ANDREW DLHAHAM.PHOTO-LITHUVMSHINGTON.D-C

AUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, i

MARTIN E. LlNDEMUTl-I, OF ELIZABETHTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

lNouBA-rpoR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters vPatent No. 549,647, dated November 12., 1895.

Application led October 26, 1894. Serial No. 527,058. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern: 4

Be it known that I, MARTIN E. LINDEMUTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabethtowmin the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Incubator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to incubators; and it has for its object to effect certain improvements in the construction of incubators and the heat-controlling devices therefor,whereby a uniform temperature may be maintained in the egg-chamber, so that all the eggs will be heated alike.

With these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an incubator equipped with the herein-described improvements. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bottom radiator-plate and the auxiliary distributingplate arranged thereunder.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

1 designates a substantially rectangular incubator-casing supported at its rcorners on the usual supporting-legs 2, andthe said casing is provided with the usual double walls 8, inclosing suitable non-conducting material 4, to provide the usual non-conducting casing.

1n the present invention the casing 1 of the incubator is provided therein with an L- shaped hot-air chamber 5, the horizontal portion of which extends the entire length and width of the casing, and the verticalenlarged portion of which extends to the top of the casing and is disposed at one side of the center of the same. The hot-air chamber 5 is inclosed by the metallic bottom radiating-plate 6, that registers within the interior of the casing and partitions off the hot-air chamber 5 and the lower egg-chamber 7, formed in the lower part of the casing and adapted to accommodate therein the usual egg-trays S, that are supported to slide on the separate pairs of cleats 9 in the usual way.

The metallic bottom radiating-plate 6 is arranged horizontally within the incubator casing, and. preferably consists of a sheet of zinc to provide 'for quickly radiating the heat throughout the egg chamber 7. The said Vhorizontal bottom radiating-plate 6 for the hot-air chamber has attached centrally to the under side thereof a smaller heat-distributing zinc-plate 10, thatk is unsecured at its edges to-the bottom-plate 6, and prevents the egg-chamber 7 from becoming overheated in the center. The smaller heat-distributing plate 10 acts as an auxiliary radiator in connection with the plate 6, and is preferably supported in position at its center on the inner end of the vertical vent-pipe 12, communicating with the interior of the egg-chamber 7, and extending vertically through the hotair chamber 5 and through the top of the casing 1. The vent-pipe 12 is provided with an upper threaded end 13, having a vent-hole 14, and adapted to receive thereon the screw- -cap 15, which provides means for covering and uncovering said hole to allow moist air to be relieved from the egg-chamber, so that the same can be kept perfectly dry.

Hot-airescape-pipes i6 are arranged vertically within the hot-air chamber 5 at the end opposite the horizontal extension thereof, and extend at their lower open ends to a point in close proximity to thev plate 6 to receive the hot air at the bottom of the chamber 5, and said pipes extend through the top of the casing to carry the hot air outside thereof. The hot-air chamber 5 is supplied with hot air through the hot-air flue 17, that extends into the casing 1 above the reduced horizontal portion of the hot-air chamber, and opens into the enlarged vertical portion of the hot-air chamber at one side thereof and at about the vertical center of the hot-air chamber. The outer end of the flue 17 connects with the vertically-disposed heater-hood 18, arranged outside of the casing 1 over the heating-'lamp 19, and said hood 18 is provided at its upper end with a valve-opening 20, which will be more particularly referred to.

The hot air entering the chamber 5 from the flue 17 fills such chamber and takes a circulation therein throughout every portion TOO thereof, as indicated by the arrows, and is maintain the same at an even temperature.

An L-shaped vertically/adjustable bracketplate 2l is mounted within the egg-chamber 7,

and has bolted to the upper horizontal arm 22 thereof one end of a thermostatie'bar 23, having an opposite slotted end 24, loosely receiving the lower end 25 of an adjustable eoni necting-rod 2G. The adjustable connectingrod 2G works within a vertical guide-tube 27, and is provided with an upper threaded end 2S, that passes through an opening 29in. the regulator-beam 30. rlhe threaded end 28 of the rod 2G is engaged above `thebeam 30-by means of the adjusting ball or nut 3l, which assists to maintain the parts of the regulating device at the proper degree of sensitiveness.

The regulator-beam 30 works above the top of the incubator-casing and is provided near oneend or at a point intermediate of both ends with the oppositely-disposed pivot-spindles 32, having knife-edge extremities mounted in the upper cndsof the parallel bearing-arms 3l, arising from the top of the casing. At one side of the pivotal support the beam 30 has mounted thereon an adjustable weight 35, and to one `extremity at the opposite side of its pivotal support the -said beam has connected thereto the upper end of the valve-rod 36, the lower end of which is detachably connected to the elongated curved valvc-plate 37, that is adapted to iit over the upper end of the hood 1S to cover .and uncover the valve-opening 2O thereof. If the temperature rises in the egg-chamber 7 beyond the desired degree the thermostatiebar will expand, and through the medium oi' the connections described will lift up the valve-plate 37 to allow hot air to escape out through the valve-opening 2O until the temperature again reduces to the normal, when the regulating device described will cause the valve-plate 37 to close and again allow all of the heat to pass into the chamber 5.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages oi this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed., anddesired to be secured by Iletters Patent, isi In an incubator, the combination oi the cz sing inclosing an. upper hot-air and a lower egg-chamber, "a horizontal metallic bottom radiating plate arranged within. the casing and partitioning said chambers from each other, and ancauxiliary movable heat distributing plate smaller than the bottom radiating pl ate andnormally resting Hat .against the under side of said radiating plate, said smaller aux iliary heat distributing plate being secured at its center to the under side of the bottom radiating plate and unattaehed at its edges thereto, whereby the distributing plate will expand away from theradiating plate to form a hot air circulating space between the two plates .when the central portion. of the radiating plate becomes overheated so that the heated air between the plates will circulate out to the sides and ends of theegg-ehamber, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that vI claim the foregoing as `my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN E. LINDEMUTITIT. Witnesses:

JOHN C. REDSECKER, CHAs. S. Goon. 

